President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he held a "substantive discussion" with members of Ukraine's parliament on the possibility of holding an election, amid pressure from the United States to hold a vote despite wartime legal restrictions.

Addressing Ukrainians in a nightly video on December 10, Zelenskyy said strong security guarantees from Kyiv's allies -- especially Washington -- are needed to hold a vote.

"If partners, including our key partner in Washington, speak so much and so specifically about elections in Ukraine, about elections under martial law, then we must provide legal Ukrainian answers to every question and every doubt," he said, responding to a suggestion by US President Donald Trump that Kyiv was using the war as an excuse to avoid elections.

"It is not easy, but pressure on this issue is definitely not what we need...Security challenges depend on partners, primarily America. Political and legal challenges must be answered by Ukraine. And they will be," he added.

The White House has been pushing for Ukraine to hold elections -- US President Donald Trump told Politico in an interview published on December 9 that "it's time"-- even though Ukraine's constitution doesn't allow for elections during wartime.

In a shift from previous statements, Zelenskyy told reporters on December 9 that he would push parliament to draft legislation allowing for elections during martial law.

A vote could follow in 60 to 90 days once there are security guarantees in place to make sure voting would be safe for Ukrainians.

Zelenskyy's comments come amid intense negotiations aimed at ending Russia's all-out war on Ukraine, launched in February 2022. Ukrainian officials have been pushing back on a US-drafted peace plan that was seen as heavily favoring Russia.

The possibility of holding elections has been regularly dismissed, with officials saying it would be impossible given daily Russian air strikes across the country, thousands of soldiers battling on the front lines, and millions of Ukrainians displaced.

Opinion polls show most Ukrainians are against holding wartime elections, though with the last elections held in 2019 some want changes in the government to bring in fresh ideas. Widely popular, Zelenskyy's support has slipped in recent weeks amid a major corruption scandal that led to the resignation of an influential adviser, Andriy Yermak.